Kyle Kennard, South Carolina: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Kennard was a three-star recruit from Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs, Ga. in the class of 2020
South Carolina’s Kyle Kennard was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, but he’s not a top five edge rusher prospect from the conference. Kennard projects as a rotational defender who primarily wins with speed and explosiveness and goes on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Kyle Kennard, Edge South Carolina: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt senior outside linebacker from Atlanta, Ga.
Background: Kennard was a three-star recruit from Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs, Ga. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 804 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 794 for On3.com. Kennard was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He transferred from Georgia Tech to South Carolina for the 2024 season. Kennard amassed more than 100 tackles with 40 tackles for loss across his final two seasons. According to MaxPreps, he totaled 21 tackles for loss with 11 sacks, an interception, and two forced fumbles as a senior and 19 tackles for loss with eight sacks, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble as a junior. Kennard earned All-Region honors for his efforts. He was born on Dec. 12, 2001.
Injuries & Off-Field: N/A
Awards: 2024 First Team All-SEC, 2024 Second Team All-American (AP, ESPN, Sporting News), 2024 First Team All-American (AFCA, Walter Camp, FWAA), 2024 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Winner, 2024 Blanchard-Rogers Trophy Winner
Pros: Arm length checks the box at 34 inches, speed rush, explosiveness, some flashes of speed to power vs. Will Campbell (2024), polished inside-rip, two-handed swipe, spin counter, twitched up chop, rip move, works chops and swipes off a long-arm, B-gap speed counter, euro steps, stems rush vertically before crossing the tackle’s face, uses long-arm to pry open B-gap, retraces rush to make plays in the B-gap, forced fumble production
Cons: Penalized 18 times over the past three years, late off the line at times, short-strider, bend doesn’t provide consistent wins around the outside, hip stiffness appears to limit bend and dynamic athleticism, driven up and around the pocket, struggles to finish speed rushes when contacted, lacks the mass to provide a consistent power rush, bull rush dies out, not an anchor breaker, lacks a deep bag of pass rush moves, limited option at the point of attack, struggles to break clamps, inconsistent separating from run blocks, easily displaced horizontally
Overview: Kennard primarily played 5-tech and wide-9 in his lone season with the Gamecocks. He sports 34-inch arms on a prototypical build for a modern outside linebacker. Kennard is an explosive rusher who threatens offensive tackles with his speed rush. He showed flashes of converting speed to power throughout the season but hasn’t developed a way to consistently overwhelm linemen with power. Kennard’s pass rush plan includes rips, spins, two-handed swipes, and twitchy chops. He adds chop and swipe counters to his long-arm move. The All-American counters into the B-gap with a speed rush and uses euro steps to exchange gaps and soften angles. He uses his speed to push vertically before crossing the tackle’s face into the B-gap. Kennard also uses his long arms to pry open inside rush lanes. He retraces down his rush path to make plays on quarterbacks stepping up into B-gap windows. Kennard only had one season of outstanding sack production in college, but he forced multiple fumbles in 2023 and 2024. His long arms and closing speed make him a threat to poke the ball out or blindside quarterbacks. The Georgia native needs to play with more discipline. Referees flagged him 18 times over the past three years, which is unacceptable. Kennard sometimes gets off the line late, and his short strides impact his immediate burst. He lacks the bend to consistently threaten offensive tackles around the corner. Hip stiffness limits his bend and dynamic athleticism, including his agility and change of direction. This makes it easier for linemen to drive him around the pocket and for mobile quarterbacks to evade him in the pocket. Kennard struggles to maintain his trajectory on speed rushes when faced with heavy contact. He fails to provide a consistent bull rush and doesn’t threaten the offensive lineman’s anchor often. The redshirt senior lacks a complete arsenal of pass rush moves and needs to diversify his rush plan. He’s not an ideal option at the point of attack because he struggles to remove the lineman’s hands and separate from blocks. Angle blocks easily displace Kennard horizontally.
Overall, Kennard polished a specific rush plan during his college career but needs to expand the ways he wins to play a regular role in the NFL. He must develop more rush moves and unlock a new power element to complement his speed rushes. Kennard projects as a rotational pass rusher until he proves he can offer every-down value.
Role & Scheme Fit: Designated pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme
Round Grade: Fourth Round
Size: 6'4", 254 lbs. (NFL Combine)
Submitted: 02-04-25
Updated: 03-19-25